Ruth became President of Robinson Fin Machines in 1983 and worked with her husband to build a business in the heat transfer industry. With her three children, she continued in the business after her husband passed away, eventually running a three generation company when her granddaughter Cassaundra joined the firm. Ruth and her daughter Sherri received the Governor's Award for Women in Manufacturing in 2003. Ruth served her adopted community in countless ways, working on boards for Hardin County Hospice, Hardin Memorial Hospital, Hardin Community Foundation, Hardin County Chamber and Tourism and many others.

She was awarded the Citizen of the Year award in 1999. Ruth was also an avid member of Soroptimist International of Kenton and Hardin County and worked to support women in the scholarship program.

Funeral services for Ruth A. Haushalter will be held 1:00pm Wednesday March 4 at Crawford Funeral Home in Jerseyville, Illinois. Friends will be received Tuesday March 3 from 1 to 7pm at Price Funeral Home in Kenton and from 10 until time of services Wednesday at the Crawford Funeral Home.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio gas prices are on par with the national average to start the week but remain significantly cheaper than at this time last year.

The state average for a gallon of regular gas was $2.43 in Monday's survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and WEX Inc. That's up 10 cents compared with a week ago, but it's down $1.17 from a year ago.

The national average was the same as Ohio's at $2.43 on Monday. That's up 13 cents from a week earlier but is about a dollar cheaper than a year ago.

Blake and Emily McElroy purchased the Price Funeral Home from the Price family, and Blake tells us there will be some small changes, but nothing drastic, "Just maybe some updating of the funeral home a little bit, and slowly but surely getting stuff turned around here and putting my own little touch on it."

He said he grew up in Byhalia and graduated in 2007. After that he went to Heidelberg College. After some injuries due to football, McElroy transferred to Wright State where he enrolled in a nursing program. Deciding that really wasn't for him, he got a chance to job shadow a funeral director which led to mortuary school in Cincinnati, "While I was there, I lived and worked in a funeral home, and I graduated from CIncinnati College of Mortuary Science in the Spring of 2012 with a Bachelor's in mortuary science. I graduated summa cum laude and won the Outstanding Embalming Award in Practice and Theory. It's a little different thing to win, but it's something I'm proud of. After there, I pretty much started working for the Price's right away. I served my apprenticeship here and have been here ever since."

As for a name change for the business, he said the McElroy name will be added gradually, "I'm not going to change it right away. Obviously the Price name has been on this building for 75 years, so I don;t want to just abruptly change anything obviously, but slowly but surely I'll add it on there, but it's going to take some time. I want the community to get adjusted to everything and understand that we're still here, we still can serve the family the way they've been treated in the past and everything will be okay."

The Hardin Soil & Water Conservation District held their annual planning meeting earlier this week.

Jerry McBride, president of the Hardin County District said that the office would be looking at funding opportunities for residents in the county to help with different projects.

"The Hardin Soil & Water Conservation District, with the Lake Erie situation right now we're looking at different pools of monies coming in. Cover crops are a hot item right now, anything we can do to keep nutrients in place and keep them from going down the river we're looking at. And we, as farmers have to do our part in the whole situation." said McBride.

McBride mentioned two of the major projects the district worked on over the last year, which would work towards improving the Lake Erie Watershed and drainage issues in farmers fields.

"A new items we came across last year was Two Stage ditching, new to Ohio but there's been a few put in out in Minnisota. One is built and several more have been planned for Hardin County. Another new item in Northwest Ohio is blind inlets which act as a filter for water so instead of running right into a ditch, it gets filtered before it goes into a ditch. We're doing anything else we can do to keep nutrients in their place and not filter out to our rivers." said McBride.

The Hardin County Museum will be looking for the public to contribute to a Hardin County History narrative.

The family histories will document residents, organizations and businesses in Hardin County as of this year. Tim Striker from the Hardin County Museum said that the last Hardin County History was compiled over thirty years ago.

"In 1983 the Hardin County Historical Society at that time realized that there hadn't been a history book on Hardin County written since 1910. So we wanted to capture a lot of lost history. In 1983 we did a family history where people wrote their history. At that time we said that every 25 to 30 years we would do it again to hit each generation so we wouldn't lose a block of 70 years of Hardin County history again." said Striker.

While a complete history of residents in Hardin County would be appreciated, Striker mentioned that there will be a limit on the length of each narrative.

"With each story we try to limit to 500 words, and if yours goes beyond that we ask that you pay a few dollars to keep the cost of printing down. You get one picture too. Don't give us a family reunion picture though because it'll be too small in the book to make out all the people in the picture." said Striker.

To submit a family history, Striker said that residents can drop them off at the Hardin County Museum, or submit them online through the museum's website. And that not only family histories will be accepted but organizations and business histories as well.

"We're collecting not only family histories but also military histories, histories of businesses, Grange, churches, 4-H, FFA Chapters, Boys and Girl Scouts, cemeteries, and basically anything that anyone wants to write and submit we'll accept. We're all about preserving whatever we can for the future and then we'll keep the project going and every 25-30 years we'll hit up another generations history." said Striker.

The museum plans to have the historical narratives published by Memorial Day this year to coincide with the Hardin County Courthouse Anniversary Celebration. The books will be soft-back and cost around $25.00 or so. Contact the Hardin County Museum for more information on the project.

A pair of girls basketball sectional title games will be on tap tonight on WKTN.

In the first game of the evening, the Upper Scioto Valley Rams will take on the Minster Wildcats in Division 4 sectional championship action at Kenton High School. The Rams, paced by Northwest Central Conference Player of the Year Emily Patton, are 20 and 2 and were the district’s second seed. The Wildcats, who were seeded fourth in the district, check in with a 17 and 5 mark.

The second half of the doubleheader will feature the Kenton Lady Wildcats as they aim for a Division 3 sectional title when they meet Liberty-Benton at Riverdale. The Lady Wildcats are 4 and 17. The Eagles, who were ranked 2nd in the latest Associated Press state poll, are 22 and 0.

WKTN will carry both games live. The action will begin with the pregame show at 6 p.m. for the Division 4 championship game. Coverage of the Division 3 title tilt will begin immediately after the conclusion of the first game.

Two other county schools will vie for Division 4 sectional titles tonight. At Coldwater, the Ada Bulldogs will meet Fort Recovery while at Findlay, the Riverdale Falcons will take on Arcadia.

All of tonight’s winners will advance to district competition next week.

The state-ranked Defiance Bulldogs knocked off the Kenton Wildcats 61-39 on Friday in Western Buckeye League boys basketball action.

The Bulldogs, who were ranked 5th in the last Associated Press Division II state poll, improve to 20-1 overall and 8-1 in the WBL. The Cats fall to 6-16 overall and 1-8 in the league.

The Bulldogs scored the final 6 points of the first quarter to take a 25-13 lead and cruised the rest of the way. Defiance led 37-15 at the half and built a 49-20 advantage midway through the third quarter.

ADA - During the Hardin County Chamber & Business Alliance’s ninth annual membership meeting, the following awards were presented: Quest Federal Credit Union - 2014 Business of the Year; Margaret Carmean - 2014 Citizen of the Year; Maddie Kugel - 2014 Community Service Award; and Wesley Lowery - 2014 Community Service Award.

.Quest Federal Credit Union received the 2014 Business of the Year based on their commitment to giving back to the Hardin County Community. Matt Jennings accepted the award on behalf of Quest Federal Credit Union, which has invested generous amounts of volunteer hours as well as monetary donations to numerous projects.

.Margaret Carmean, was the recipient of the 2014 Citizen of the Year based on her dedication to helping others and improving our community. As a retired school teacher, Carmean has volunteered countless hours to our community and support for various organizations and events.

Two Community Service Awards were given out last night for the first time. Both recipients were awarded the 2014 Community Service Award based on the many hours of community service and dedication.

. Maddie Kugel received the award for creating a wonderful dog park, while also improving one of Kenton’s parks.

.Wesley Lowery received the award for replacing an old tornado siren in the Village of Alger.

Over 200 were in attendance at the event held at Ohio Northern University’s McIntosh Center.

Three people were sentenced recently in Hardin County Common Pleas Court.

According to documents from Prosecutor Brad Bailey's Office:

.Terry L. Lewis was sentenced to a total of 39 months in prison on two counts of possession of heroin and one count each of trafficking in drugs, possession of drugs, possession of drug abuse instruments and trafficking in counterfeit controlled substances.

.Larry W. Woodruff was sentenced to a total of 28 months in prison on one count each of breaking and entering and failure to appear.

.Terry L. Smith was placed on five years community control with conditions on one count of possession of heroin.

The non-profit veterans organization Warriors First plans to lease Saulisberry Park to use it as a rehibilitation and transitioning camp for veterans and their families. Retired Colonel Jim Ramsey who is a native of Hardin County said that throughout his career he noticed that veterans need help to transition after their years of service.

"Let's take on these guys like family. Let's give them an environment where they can feel comfortable and talk to people. In my military career one of the places I enjoyed the most was the USO. For me the USO was like sitting in my living room because I was around people who had similar experiences that I had and felt like I could talk freely. Our first idea was to create a USO type of environment in hometown America." said Ramsey.

For the complete discussion with Colonel Ramsey as well as Rev Scott Johnson tune in At Issue Saturday morning at 7:35 on WKTN.

The Kenton Wildcats wrap up the regular season tonight when they host state-ranked Defiance.

The Wildcats are coming off their biggest win of the season, a 56 to 49 victory over a 17-win Upper Scioto Valley squad on Wednesday. Kenton is now 6 and 15 overall and brings a 1 and 7 league mark into tonight’s Western Buckeye League contest with Defiance.

The Bulldogs were ranked 5th in the latest Associated Press Division II state poll and are 19 and 1 overall. Unfortunately for Defiance, that one loss came in league action to state-ranked Celina. That leaves the Dogs at 7 and 1 in Western Buckeye League, one game behind Celina. Defiance needs to beat the Cats and get Elida to knock off Celina in order to nab a share of the conference title.

WKTN will have all the action live tonight from Kenton High School, with the pregame show starting around 7:30 p.m.

Two drivers escaped injury in a crash that occurred Wednesday afternoon on County Road 20.

According to the report from the Hardin County Sheriff's Office, 76 year old Jerry Oates, of Ada, slowed to turn right into his driveway, when his car was struck in the passenger side by a vehicle being operated by 26 old David Roberson, also of Ada.

Heavy damage occurred to both vehicles, and the crash remains under investigation.

The City of Kenton conducted a test of the new tornado siren Wednesday afternoon

Kenton Safety-Service Director Jim Hites said it performed as expected, "We did a 30 second siren, which is what will sound on our test days, the same amount of times."

Hites said a test will be conducted every Wednesday at noon.

The siren will be activated at the Kenton Fire Station, which is where it is located, and Fire Chief Russ Blue said in the event of a actual warning, "It will be three minutes and there will be a seven minute pause, then another three minutes, then a seven minute pause and three minutes, and that will continue until the warning is lifted."

He talks about how the siren works, "The siren rotates on the post where it's mounted, and it will do a 360 and the sound goes out the direction it's pointing at the time, so it's not just a stationary hit in one direction."

In a release today from the city, officials are saying the siren in primarily designed to warn citizens who happen to be outside at the time. They say it is unlikley that the siren can be heard well enough if you are inside. They urged citizens to purchase weather band radios that alerts you of warnings in your area.

Hardin Leadership is now recruiting for participants of the 2015 class.

OSU Family and Consumer Sciences Educator Kathy Oliver said that the sessions will begin in March, "The sessions will be on the second Thursday morning of each month, March through November. The third week in September because of the county fair this year, but other than that, the second Thursday morning 8:30 until noon."

She said the firm deadline to register will be March 4, "So that we can process and be ready the next week for the class to start. You can see a brochure at go.osu.edu/2015HardinLeadership2015.org or call the extension office at 419-674-2297 and we will get a brochure in your hand just as quick as we can."

And the cost of the class is $300, "For those who are sponsored. If there is someone interested in participating and does not have a sponsoring organization, or sponsoring business, we do have scholarships and all that information has to be in the 4th of March to be considered. Everyone, we encourage them to pay $30, which is 10% of the fee as a promise that yes I want to participate in Hardin Leadership."

Two area athletes will be participating in the state swim meet this evening.

Kenton junior Mo Gray won the 100-yard breast stroke at last week’s district meet at Bowling Green State University with a time of 1:06.90. That earned her a spot in the state swim meet, which is taking place at the C.T. Branin Natatorim in Canton. Her 1:06.90 district time is the 9th-fastest out of the 24 state qualifiers.

Ada’s Mitchell Wilcox will be competing in two events at the state meet. He won the 100-yard breast stroke in 1:00.75 at the Bowling Green district and was 4th in the 50-yard freestyle in 22.04. The senior’s 100-yard breast stroke time is 14th-best out of a field of 24 while his 50-yard free time is 11th out of 24.

Both Gray and Wilcox will be participating in the Division II state meet. The prelims will start tonight at 5 p.m. in Canton, with the finals set for 5 p.m. on Friday.

The Wildcats (6-15) got 20 points from Colyn Blackford and 16 points from Austin Phillips while the Rams (17-5) were led by Lane Hurley's 15 points and Cameron Parker's 13 markers.

Phillips and Blackford were named the Ace Hardware Players of the Game.

In girls sectional tournament action at Coldwater, Ada defeated Hardin Northern 62-39. The Bulldogs improve to 19-4 and advance to sectional title action on Saturday while the Polar Bears end their season at 5-18.

At Findlay, the Riverdale Lady Falcons rolled past Toledo Christian 59-19 in sectional tournament play. The Falcons are 15-7 for the season and will play for a sectional title on Saturday.

In the evening's first game, the Ada Bulldogs will take on Hardin Northern in Division 4 girls basketball sectional tournament action at Coldwater. The Bulldogs are 18 and 4 and earned the 6th seed in the brutal Wapakoneta district. The Polar Bears are 5 and 17 and got the district's 11th seed. Tonight's game is a rematch of January 5th matchup won by Ada by a 55 to 25 count.

In the nightcap, the Kenton Wildcats will host Upper Scioto Valley in regular-season boys basketball play. The Cats are 5 and 15 on the year after Friday's 76 to 49 loss to state-ranked Celina while the Rams are 17 and 4 after defeating Cory-Rawson 74 to 58 on Monday.

The action starts tonight on WKTN with the pregame show for the girls tournament game. That will begin at 6 p.m., with the boys broadcast to immediately follow the conclusion of the girls game.

Minster is the fourth seed in the district. The Wildcats are 16 and 5 and finished tied for 2nd in the powerful Midwest Athletic Conference with a 7 and 2 league mark. The Golden Gophers are 3 and 19 on the season and were the tournament’s 13th seed.

WKTN will have all the action live tonight from Kenton High School, with the pregame show starting at 6 p.m.

The winner of this Division 4 sectional tournament game earns a date with 2nd-seeded Upper Scioto Valley at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday back at Kenton High School. That game will also be broadcast live on 95.3 WKTN.

A rehibiltation camp for veterans has been proposed for Saulsberry Park in Kenton.

Warriors First, a non-profit veterans organization has approached the City of Kenton to lease Saulisberry Park for the purposes of using it as a rehibiltation camp for United States Veterans of the Armed Services. Camp Jacob Parrott, the proposed camp would provide camping for RV's and tents as well as lodging in Amish-made memorial log cabins for veterans and their families.

Saulisberry Park and France Lake adjacent to the Hardin County Airport south of Kenton.

Hardin County native Jim Ramge, who served as a Lt. Colonel in the armed services and has since retired co-founded the organization, Warriors First, with Rev. Scott Johnson. Ramge said that in his years of working with veterans, more and more he found a genuine need for a long term and simple rehibiltation camp for the vets.

"Let's take on these guys like family. Let's give them an environment where they can feel comfortable and talk to people. In my military career one of the places I enjoyed the most was the USO. For me the USO was like sitting in my living room because I was around people who had similar experiences that I had and felt like I could talk freely. Our first idea was to create a USO type of environment in hometown America." said Ramge.

Rev. Scott Johnson said that the project would require a long term lease from the City of Kenton for use of the park, and their organization will begin by forming a steering committee to formulate specific plans.

A few of the proposed changes to the park in the project.

"We'd like to expand the base of Saulisberry Park and expand the camping that's out there to embrace our wounded warriors and their families. Maintaining public camping and fishing, but to target a number of our fellow Americans who, in a number of different ways have become marginalized. To give them a place to find a kinship with others and healing, and where we can also have resources available on site to deal with PTSD, marital problems and have chaplins there ready to go. So it's a simple thing of expanding the camping so we have places for wounded warriors and veterans that's designated and then to expand it from there by clearing a wooded area out there for memorial cabins." said Johnson.

The current plans call for current activities at Saulisberry Park, such as the annual Brian's Run and The Lake of Lights to continue to be incorporated, as well as camping and fishing for the general public. Hardin County Chamber & Business Alliance President Jon Cross told the members of the city council that, given the nature of the project, and the fact that it would be the only one of its kind in the entire country, the project has the potential to put the city and county on the map nationally, which will be beneficial for economic development. Cross also noted Kenton is ready to host veterans.

A packed chamber consisting mostly of veterans attended the Kenton City Council meeting Monday night to listen and show support of the proposal. The council expressed very positive feelings on the project and agreed to move it into a special committee for further review.

"I don't want to sound like we're going to thrive off economic development from this project but we have to prepare for it. Unlike industrial deals or commercial property deals that happen in the community, sometimes they don't drive the need to resturants and hotel development. This will. And as this project grows and prospers we want to make sure that we have a community ready to welcome those folks here. I think that's what makes this project very special, people here in Hardin County are ready to open their arms and welcome these folks here. We have the right community mindset, and the right spirit and that will make this project very successful." said Cross.

Ramge said that the proposed facility will be open to veterans of any service and conflict, and his ultimate goal would be to ensure the success of the camp in Kenton, and replicate it all across the country.

"My ultimate goal is that this becomes a retreat where veterans from all around the world want to come here and be a part of it. That they embrace not only the Warriors First Camp but also the City of Kenton. Hopefully families move here because it's a place of comfort, it's a place where people feel at home. That businesses come here to hire veterans here. That it becomes a huge hub of veterans. That someone can say let's go to Kenton because we know that community loves our veterans." said Ramge.

The Kenton City Council will form a special committee to review the proposal, and all the council members themselves expressed positive thoughts on the project. The City Law Director will explore the legalities of the proposal, and the council will begin working with Warriors First on a lease agreement.

For those who would like to volunteer or donate to the project, Ramge said people can contact either him or Rev Johnson. Additionally, he said that an account was set up at Quest Federal Credit Union for people to donate to the project as well.

A Richwood woman escaped injury in a one vehicle crash over the weekend.

According to the report from the Hardin County Sheriff's Office, 35 year old Melissa Rasey was driving west on County Road 240 and failed to see a curve in time to slow down. Rasey applied the brakes, but the car slid several yards before crashing into a guardrail.

The car was heavily damaged, and Rasey was cited for failing to maintain reasonable control.

The Hardin County Dairy Service Unit held the annual Hardin County Dairy Banquet Saturday afternoon at Walnut Grove Church. At the banquet, Robin Feasel from Kenton High School was selected as the 2015 Hardin County Dairy Princess.

Additionally, exhibitors Rose Rall and George Bauer were each awarded a $500.00 scholarship from the Dairy Service Unit.

The first annual Hardin County Horse Banquet was held Saturday night at the Hardin County Fairgrounds Community Building. At the banquet Sydney Geberin was selected as Hardin County Horse Princess for 2015 and Layne Taylor was crowned 2015 Hardin County Horse Queen.

Born in the ashes of tragedy, and built through the perseverance of its congregation, the Ada United Methodist Church is ready to open its doors to the public.

The Ada United Methodist Church caught on fire in March of 2012, destroying the 113 year old historic structure. Over the past thirty-five months, the parishioners of the church worked to rebuild and re-envision the church and its mission. Robert McCurdy, who served as a Chairman of the building committee said that it was a long and very involved process.

The entryway in the new church building

"The first year and a half was a planning phase determining what this church could be for this community and what we could do to serve our God. After that we retained an archetect and we explored different design options. Then we moved into finding a contractor and getting underway so the actual construction was just short of a year." said McCurdy.

The fellowship hall

Finding itself in a unique position, the committee retained much of the feel of the old structure, while at the same time, incorporating elements into the new structure which would benefit the church and allow changes and modernization as needed. McCurdy noted that the committee developed four guiding principles as the project moved forward.

The choir room which will also be used for the bridal party for weddings.

"We wanted the church to appear to be more open to the community and more accessable. The second thing we wanted was more emphsis on the community and community access to use the facility so that guided us. A big fellowship hall and a commercial kitchen were essential for that. We wanted to serve children and families in a way we haven't been able to so we built significant children's space and plans are developing to have a preschool here. The last thing was to design and build a sacred space where when you walk into it you know you're in the sancuary" said McCurdy.

The entryway for the childrens rooms and preschool

McCurdy said that the project was quite a learning experience for the congregation and for himself personally, but as the project moved forward, and things began to happen and fall into place, the church became a reality. The final cost of the project is unknown but is estimated to be around 6.4 million dollars, of which 5 million was paid for through insurance on the old church. McCurdy noted that the other million was collected from residents in the Ada community, business donations and through fundraisers and loans. He said that the church members were humbled and grateful for the support from the community and other area churches.

The preschool room

"We're a relatively small church and to see the people in this church who have brought their gifts to bear on this project has been, for me, heartwarming and emotional. To understand stewardship in a way I've never understood it before...we focus so much on monitary donations and you get to see in spades the whole idea of spiritual gifts and how they come into play. It's still happening today." said McCurdy.

The Sancuary

The first service in the new church was held Wednesday evening for Ash Wednesday, and since the fire, the church members have been meeting in the chapel at Ohio Northern University. McCurdy said that the church will hold its final service in the ONU Chapel Sunday morning, after which an event is planned.

"We'll start our worship there and after our formal worship we will process from there to the new building. Some other churchs from Ada will join us along the way. We'll have a brief ceremony here then and people are welcome to join in that procession which will be around 11:30am and we'll have some light refreshments here afterward. The church will be open for people to tour then. Our first Sunday service will be on March 1st" said McCurdy.

Two features were salvaged from the old church building. The first was the original church bell which was restored after the fire.

The second feature was the original cornerstone from the old building, which was built into the wall of the new building.

The church plans on holding services in the new building through Easter Sunday to adjust to the new structure and work out any minor issues. The official dedication of the new church will be held Sunday April 12th.

The Celina Bulldogs hit their first seven shots from the field and never looked back on Friday, notching a 76-49 win over Kenton in Western Buckeye League boys basketball action.

The Bulldogs improve to 18-2 overall and are a league-leading 8-0 in the Western Buckeye League. They have clinched at least a share of the league crown and can take the title outright with a win over Elida on Friday.

The Bulldogs knocked down eight three-pointers in the win and placed four players in double figures.

A Mt. Victory man is among two people who have been arrested in connection to the robbery and murder of a Richwood man this past Wednesday night.

According to a release from the Union County Sheriff's Office, on Friday February 20, deputies arrested Joseph Magana, age 29 of 33611 State Route 31 Mt. Victory, Ohio and Amber N. Parish, age 27 of 9260 State Route 37 Ostrander, Ohio.

Magana and Parish are charged with one count each of Aggravated Burglary and Aggravated Robbery. Both charges are felonies of the first degree. Magana and Parish are currently being held in the Tri County Regional Jail and appeared this morning in Marysville Municipal Court, where they were given a one million dollar bond. Investigators from the Sheriff's Office, the Marysville Division of Police, and the Columbus Police Department recovered several weapons allegedly stolen during the robbery. The weapons were recovered during the execution of a search at a residence in the 14000 block of US Route 36 and at a home in the City of Columbus. Investigators believe one of the firearms, a 22 caliber rifle, was used in the murder of Arthur Burchett. Autopsy results showed that Burchett died of a single gunshot wound to the head. As a result of the investigation, deputies have also seized a Honda Civic used during the commission of the robbery.

The investigation is on-going and additional charges are expected pending the forensic analysis of evidence by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The case is now being investigated by the MADE (Multi Agency Drug Enforcement) Task Force. The MADE Task Force is a combined effort of the Union County Sheriff's Office, the Marysville Division of Police, and the Union County Prosecutor's Office.

Kenton City Schools has hired High School Assistant Principal Chad Thrush as the next Kenton High School Principal starting at the end of the school year.

At a special session of the Kenton School Board Thursday afternoon, Thrush was hired after the retirement of current high school principal Rick Abbott. Thrush was hired on a two year contract at $87,500.00 a year.

Also at the meeting, the board hired Katherine Brim as a first grade teacher at Kenton Elementary and Tara Oakes as an intervention specialist at Kenton Elementary School.

The Hardin County Chamber and Business Alliance has gone through a number of changes over the past year.

Board Chairman Tim Street said it has been a process, "We've really done some different things with the Alliance. The way we operate through the Board side of things, we went from basically one term chairmanship, to now we're kind of working through a process to increase that to two years. It just gives the leadership of the Alliance Board a little more time to work through some of the programs and processes that we're working through."

For the complete discussion, tune in At Issue, Saturday morning at 7:35 on WKTN.

A tough weekend is in store for the Kenton Wildcats as they take on Celina and Upper Scioto Valley.

The Wildcats broke a 21-game Western Buckeye League losing skid on Friday by defeating Bath 71 to 57. Tonight the Cats will look to snap another streak when they visit Celina. The Wildcats, who are 5 and 14 overall and 1 and 6 in the league, will be looking to win on the road in the Western Buckeye League for the first time in over 4 years. The Cats have not won a league game away from the friendly confines of Kenton High School since they defeated Wapakoneta 54 to 52 on February 18th, 2011. The Cats will be hard-pressed to snap that streak this evening against a state-ranked Celina team that will be looking to clinch a share of the Western Buckeye League title. The Bulldogs were ranked 8th in the latest Associated Press Division 2 state poll and are 17 and 2 this season. Celina is 7 and 0 in the Western Buckeye League and leads Defiance by a game with two league outings to go.

On Saturday night, local rival Upper Scioto Valley comes to Kenton to take on the Wildcats. Led by Lane Hurley’s 20 points a game, the Rams are 15 and 4 heading into this weekend.

WKTN will carry both games live, with the pregame show starting around 7:30 p.m. both nights.

The Hardin County Chamber and Business Alliance hosted a breakfast briefing today with State Senator Cliff Hite and 30 of Hardin County’s CEOs, executives and business owners to discuss and provide input on Governor Kasich’s 2016/17 budget proposal. The group represented various industries, such as education, healthcare, manufacturing and small businesses throughout Hardin County.

Some of the key discussions were about the Governor’s tax reform proposals, as the current plan calls for the elimination of state income tax from all small businesses with annual gross receipts under $2 million. In addition, personal income tax rates will be cut for all Ohio taxpayers by 23 percent over the next two years.

Both legislators took many questions on issues ranging from higher education and tuition costs, PK-12 educational funding to healthcare and workforce issues.

Alliance President & CEO Jon Cross noted, “it's important that our business leaders, and those making daily management decisions of their respective industry, have the opportunity to provide some front-line information to our legislators. Keeping the Governor and Ohio Legislature well informed about our needs will hopefully lead to a healthy debate and actions that allow our local school districts, university, healthcare community, small businesses and financial institutions continue to grow and prosper.”

Alliance Board Chairman Tim Street stated, “I am glad to see that Hardin County has a voice in this budget process. The Alliance will continue to advocate on behalf of our membership that more money back in the pockets of our employers and employees, as well as our schools will only allow our businesses to reinvest and grow within our communities, employing more people with good paying jobs and students gaining the proper training for our future workforce needs.”

A Richwood man was killed in what Union County investigators are calling an apparent murder.

According to a release, the Union County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call around 7:45 Wednesday evening from 10500 Askins Road reporting a man with a head injury.

Deputies and crews from the Leesburg Township Fire Department and the Northern Union County Fire and EMS District responded to the residence and found a man with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. The victim was flown by Careflight to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and was pronounced deceased at approximately 9:37 pm. An autopsy will be conducted today by the Franklin County Coroner's Office.

Detectives from the Sheriff's Office and agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation executed a search warrant at the residence and have interviewed several witnesses. The deceased has been identified as Arthur D. Burchett, age 67 of 10500 Askins Road Richwood, Ohio 43344. The Sheriff's Office is also being assisted in the investigation by staff from the Union County Prosecutor's Office.

According to the report from the Kenton Police Department, an unoccupied vehicle parked in front of a house in the 700 block of Detroit Street began accelerating from the driveway. The vehicle, which is owned by Victoria Loubert, travelled onto Detroit Street and struck a northbound car being driven by 72 year old Robert Wroten, of Arlington.

Two suspects are being sought in connection to a report that they were trying to lure young boys into their vehicle Tuesday.

According to the Kenton Police Department report, the men were in a black GMC pickup truck with a scratch down the side.

The men approached two boys on West Walnut Street and a short time later, the approached two other boys in the same area. Each time, the men asked the boys if they wanted some candy.
The truck had tinted windows, so the driver could not be seen clearly. The passenger got out of the truck as the boys were running away. He was wearing a gray shirt with a yellow Under

Armour emblem on it.

If you have any information, call the police department at 419-673-0771.

Two drivers escaped injury in a crash that occurred just before eight Tuesday morning.

According to the report from the Hardin County Sheriff's Office, 23 year old Grace Clarke, of Kenton, attempted to turn left from State Route 309 onto Jacob Parrott Boulevard, and her car was struck by a westbound vehicle being operated by 25 year old Megan Castle, of LaRue.

Heavy damage occurred to both vehicles, and Clarke was cited for failing to yield the right of way.

A meeting of the Kenton Fourth Ward Revitalization Grant proposal was held Tuesday night at Epworth Church.

The proposed project would be to work for a block grant from the State of Ohio, and it would be for several projects in the fourth ward.

Grant planners have put out several surveys to get an idea as to types of projects to do as a part of the grant. As of the meeting, twenty-seven surveys have been returned, identifying park improvements and sidewalks as several main issues, and also street improvements and drainage issues in the fourth ward. The committee is still accepting surveys to get an idea as to types of projects that could be done in that section of town.

Additionally, volunteer opportunities will need to be done as a part of the grant proposal. Volunteers and non-profit organizations looking for volunteer projects are invited to the next meeting on March 10th to hear about opportunities for their contributions. That meeting will also be held at Epworth Church at 7pm.

An ensemble group of singers from Hardin Northern was selected to perform at a talent show this month.

Members of Awakened Commotion a pop acapella group from Hardin Northern performed Survivor by Destiny's Child. A rendition that got them selected to perform at Ohio Has Talent. A show scheduled for February 28 in Van Wert.

Lukas Schroeder, a senior at Hardin Northern, talks about what a pop acapella group is. "We mean, not necessarily the genre of music pop, but we mean more so popular music."

Schroeder tells us how the group was selected for the talent show. "There's 18 different acts and we auditioned for it in front of a panel of judges and we got the word that we were in".

They are preparing now for the competition. "We actually will be singing a mash-up. You take two different songs and put them together. It may not actually work but sometimes it is a hit or miss. In this one we are going to be performing 'Do You Love Me' by Justin Bieber and mashed-up with Katy Perry 'Wide Awake'.

Collin Hoffman, a junior at Hardin Northern tells us what goes into putting a show together, "Every practice, every other performance is what prepares us for the next show. There's not really a set number of times you can practice in order to hit that musical nirvana, so everything sounds well together. You just have to keep getting experience."

Schroeder adds that there's a cash prize on the line for first, second and third at Ohio Has Talent, "And it's an audience vote. They actually vote based off of how you did, and who they thought was the best."

Tickets for the show start at $10 on up to $25. For more information, visit the website npacvw.ticketforce.com

MARION, Ohio (AP) - A 3-year-old boy has died in a fire in a trailer home in Marion County.

Pleasant Township Fire Chief Clint Canterbury says an adult and another child were injured but survived the Tuesday morning blaze that heavily damaged the rural home near Marion.

Canterbury says the two survivors - the mother and a sibling of the child who died - were suffering from smoke inhalation and frostbite. They were hospitalized in Columbus. Another adult got out without injury.

The call came in at 6:44 a.m., and flames were visible in the front windows and door by the time fire crews arrived. The boy's body was found in a bedroom.

According to Alger Fire Chief Ethan Hunt, when firefighters arrived at 308 McConnel Street, the house was fully engulfed in flames.
He said the house was occupied by the family of Shawn Sanders, but no one was home at the time, and there were no injuries.

The cause has not yet been determined, and the blaze remains under investigation.

The Kenton City Schools has maintained that the Northwood School Building will be utilized for Ohio Hi-Point to operate a Satalite Career Center for the students of Kenton High School. At the board meeting Monday night, the board heard some of the costs that can be associated with bringing the current building up to standards on that project.

After reviewing the current building with the staff and administration from Hi-Point, the school has received an initial estimate on renovation costs to be near $500,000, which would include the abatement of the current structure as well as upgrades and improvements to the building.

School Superintendent Jennifer Pensarski said that was a high number for the potential outcome of the project, and that the renovations would be mainly internal. The outside structure would not be changed. Pensarski said that paring down those costs, while still keeping the building in line with Hi-Point's goals could be done in the range of $200,000.00. Board

President Russ Blue said all the board members were in agreement that the lower costs would help the project, provided an agreement could be worked out with Hi-Point.

The Proposed Career Center would house programs for Allied Health and Nursing, Engineering and Manufacturing, IT Support and Services Training, and Programming and Software Development, with programs tailored to fit existing Hardin County Business Operations.

Also at the meeting, the Board heard from Tech Wizards from OSU Extension discuss programming in the Kenton Elementary School, and accepted retirement resignations from several faculty members including teacher Annette Ansley and HS Principal Rick Abbott.

The next meeting of the Kenton School Board will be on March 16th 2015 at the Kenton Schools Administrative Offices at 7pm.

A man with a Marion address is facing charges following a domestic violence incident Sunday afternoon.

According to the report from the Kenton Police Department, officers were dispatched to Forest Court Apartments to investigate the complaint. The victim is said to have had marks around her throat, bite marks on her wrist and finger, and a swollen thigh caused by alleged strike from a shower rod.

The suspect, identified as 26 year old Nicholas Griffith, the victim's live-in boyfriend, was arrested and later transported to the Multi-County Jail in Marion. Charges are pending.

Two vehicles were heavily damaged in a crash that occurred just after nine Sunday morning in the intersection of Main and Columbus Streets.

According to the Kenton Police Department report, 21 year old Brittany Plocek, of Monclova, Ohio, was driving north on Main and said she attempted to make it through the intersection before the light turned red. Her vehicle struck a car being operated east on Columbus Street by 50 year old Cheryl Lowe, of Kenton.

Slippery roads contributed to a one vehicle crash that occurred around 7:20 Sunday morning on County Road 92 in Marion Township.

According to the Hardin County Sheriff's Office report, 25 year old Joshua Bailey, of Alger, was driving east on 92 when his car slid on the ice and travelled off the left side of the road where it struck a utility pole. Heavy front end damage occurred to the car.

Snow and high winds made for hazardous driving conditions around the county on Saturday. Hardin County was placed on a level 2 snow emergency Saturday afternoon, which was lifted early Sunday morning. The Hardin County Sheriff's office investigated a multitude of weather related crashes with most being just property damage. However, one of those crashes resulted in injuries.

The day log from the Sheriff's office showed that the crash took place in the 19000 block of State Route 81 early Saturday morning. However, no further information was available.

The Kenton Police Department investigated several crashes Saturday as well. Crashes were reported on W. Franklin Street, Main Street, South Main and at the intersection of Columbus and Memorial Avenue. There were no injuries in any of the crashes but a Kenton and Marion man were cited in two of these crashes.

The Sectonal Swimming meet was held at the Lima YMCA on Saturday with Wapak finishing first in both the boys and girls events.

In the girls events, Kenton finished third overall while Ada swam to a tenth place finish. Kenton's Mo Gray finished first in the 100 breast stroke and was third in the 50 free style. Also for Kenton, Ashton Cole took 2nd place in the 200 free style as well as the 500 free style. Kenton's Jenna Sherman was fourth in the 100 butterfly. As a team, Kenton swam to third place finishes in the 200 Medley Relay as well as the 400 Freestyle Relay. Ada's Kyley Stewart was the top Ada swimmer as she finished third overall in the 100 butterfly.

In boys action, Ada finished forth while Kenton finished seventh of the 12 teams. Mitchell Wilcox of Ada won the 100 breast stroke and finished third overall in the 50 freestyle. The Ada boys finished third in both the 200 Medley and Freestyle Relay's

BUCYRUS, Ohio (AP) - Newly released video shows an Ohio man confessing to murdering four people during a cocaine binge and telling police that two people knew of the killings before the last one.

Forty-one-year-old Donald Hoffman pleaded guilty and is serving life in prison for the slayings that stunned the City of Bucyrus last fall.

Police and the Crawford County prosecutor say Hoffman was the only person charged because other people didn't participate in the killings and there was no corroborated evidence that they had knowledge that would have prevented a death. Hoffman himself told police he wasn't sure the acquaintances believed him when he admitted killing people.

Video of his police interviews was released Friday. It offers some explanation for the slayings, mostly a combination of drugs, money and anger.

Colyn Blackford and Austin Phillips combined for 44 points as the Kenton Wildcats defeated Bath 71-57 on Friday in Western Buckeye League boys basketball play.

Blackford had 23 points and 4 rebounds while Phillips finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds as the duo shared Ace Hardware Player of the Game honors.

The victory improved Kenton to 5-14 overall and 1-6 in the WBL. The win also snapped a 21-game league losing streak for the Cats, whose last WBL win came on January 11, 2013, when they defeated Shawnee 58-47.

The investigation of the suspicious car fire in the Village of McGuffey is continuing. According to a release from Hardin County Sheriff Keith Everhart, the department has developed a person of interest in connection to the fire which occurred on February 8th. Everhart states that no arrest has been made yet but a grand jury indictment will be sought at the conclusion of the investigation and he thanks the public's help for their tips and information which was provided during the investigation.

There has been a concern that the car fire in McGuffey may have been related to a structure fire in the village also this week, but Sheriff Everhart confirmed to WKTN Radio that the two incidents are separate and not suspected to be related.

Heartbeat of Hardin County continues to help people deal with pregnancies.

Executive Director Julie Zaring talks about some of the services her agency provides, "Heartbeat is set up to do free pregnancy tests, help people that are facing an unplanned pregnancy or even a pregnancy they were planning but not expecting but need help with medical expenses. We also do the verfication form for Job and Family Services and for WIC."

For the complete discussion, tune in At Issue, Saturday morning at 7:35 on WKTN.